Coydogs. Are they real creatures, or just the stuff of urban legend? As the name implies, a coydog would be a cross between a coyote and a dog. But according to Chrissie Henner, a biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife,
they're an urban legend. She says that
"there has never been any physical evidence of a half-dog, half-coyote animal." Not that it would be impossible for the two species to mate and produce an offspring, just very unlikely. Though Henner also points out that the mating cycles of the two species differ:
"Coyotes go in to heat between January and March and have pups in May or June, while dogs have their pups in winter." So if animal experts such as Henner are correct that there's no physical evidence of the existence of coydogs, then what exactly is the
Sundance Coydogs site selling? Are these coyotes, or dogs that look coyote-like, or real coydogs?
Comments
to seijun: i understand their tails hang down while they stand but my question is: are there any dog breeds known for holding their tail pointed to the ground while they run?
link for picts
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29743&id=100001229797207
i took these today, huck and zoey are the mom and dad of the puppy Pi in the pictures
The thing that impressed me about images of wolves on the internet is that many of them had her coloring and exactly her facial expression. She has an intense watchfulness and much calmer nerves than any coy dog I've known (they are usually quite antsy).
I think chances are pretty good that she has some wolf in her. Where we live, there are three wolf packs within nightly howling distance and where she comes from is much deeper into the wilderness. Anyway, it's fun to conjecture.
Oh yeah, and she treed a good sized bear, recently. The coy stayed the heck out of the way.
I have a Sibe/Kelpie cross and she is mistaken for having coyote in her quite often.
Here's a site on coyotes in TN. First one I found that mentioned diseases..
this is an article from july of this year about a coydog caught in alabama, my zoey's homestate..
i have been researching coyotes and coydogs (during my limited time on the web) and what i have found is: mostly either people who have no experience with coyotes saying coydogs don't exist or are very rare.. or the opposite side of the story which is hunters and animal control people who say coydogs do exist and should be exterminated much like coyotes..
somewhere in the middle are all of those people who think they have a coydog.. (like myself) and very little info about coydogs.. real facts, not opinion about coydogs..
this frustrating research continues..
any help with it is still very appreciated!
We had some close family friends a while back who had a female German Shepherd (named Sheba, and golly was she gorgeous), and they kept her in a pen outside at night. The pen had extremely high fences, but it was meant mostly to keep her IN... It hadn't much occurred to them that they might need to keep anything OUT. So when, one morning, they looked out the window to see a male coyote lying in the pen, they first thought, Oh my God, my dog killed a coyote. Then they thought, Oh my God, that coyote killed my dog. When they got outside and saw that both animals were unharmed and seemed tolerant of each other... they figured it out.
Sheba had a full litter of pups, it was either six or eight, and all but one of the pups was put in a new home. The last pup was named Cassie. She had pale blue almost lavender eyes, she was a good deal smaller than her mum, and she loved to try to sit on laps. She was extremely energetic, loving, and adventurous, though somewhat shy around new people. I used to go on walks with her out in the hills (without a leash, because she didn't really need one), and I'll admit she was a good deal wilder than any dog I've known. I felt more like she was leading me out into the wilderness than anything else, but she was more or less domesticated, and a great dog.
A. My Aussie cattle dogs heat twice a year
B. I found my bitch and a lower desert coyote stuck together in a moment of "passion". we shall say.
C. She had pups... Was only outta the house to pee, and once I saw that then she was let out in fenced area.
Impossible? Then who's pups are they?
every vet i have taken her to has said she is half coyote half husky. she does get weird around some people but like any dog i have had its like they have an intuition of people just like we do. being part coyote she is a bit sneeky when it comes to dinner time. she keeps her distance but has to watch. during a movie if were eating pop corn you can quite litterly drop a piece during the loudest parts and she still hears it. lol she is like a crack head for human food.
we also have a half chihuahua courgy and they play all day long. she is so gentle with him and the cat. honestly this has been the smartest dog i have ever had. unfortunately shes a bit to smart.
for being half coyote she isnt really intimidated by new people as when she was a pup i made damn sure to socialize her with lots of other animals and people. the way the dog is raised has tons to do with behavioral issues. if you have a dog and you let him or her get use to lots of new people by walks and going to the park allows them to realize that people and other pets are a good thing then they react that way.
However if you have a dog and don't let em visit people and socialize with other pets the will become very timid and aggressive to them. its so simple. so any one that has any guff about what ive posted you know that im right and thats why your aggitated. so basicly learn to blame your self for not being a strong enough person to spend enough time with your pets.
Don't know what id do without her.
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